Internet censorship in Russia
In November 2012, Russia activated a centralized internet blacklist known as the Common register of domain names. This system allowed the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media to block specific URLs without immediate court orders. The initial criteria targeted child pornography, drug abuse promotion, and suicide methods. By July 2017, Vladimir Putin signed a bill banning all software related to circumventing this filter. A leaked list published by a LiveJournal user on the 12th of November 2012 revealed over 70,000 entries within months. Roskomnadzor could add sites to the list if owners failed to remove prohibited material within three days. In September 2012, a Levada Center survey showed that 63% of respondents supported Internet censorship despite constitutional bans.
Russia's System of Operational-Investigatory Measures requires telecommunications operators to install hardware provided by the Federal Security Service. This equipment allows the agency to monitor phone calls, email traffic, and web browsing activity unilaterally. Metadata can be obtained without a warrant under the SORM framework. In 2014, the Ministry of Communications ordered companies to install new equipment with deep packet inspection capability. The Yarovaya law passed in July 2016 mandates telecom operators store recordings of conversations and internet traffic for up to six months. Authorities access this data upon request without needing a court order. As of January 2018, online messaging applications were not permitted to allow unidentified users. Public Wi-Fi hotspots require registration using mobile numbers since the 2010s.
A ban on all software and websites related to circumventing internet filtering took effect in Russia in November 2017. This included virtual private network services and instructional material on how to bypass government blocks. Sales of VPN services increased significantly following the April 2018 ban on the Telegram app. Roskomnadzor began installing TSPU devices in September 2019 to isolate Russian networks from the rest of the Internet. These technical measures for threat protection caused connectivity problems for players of World of Warships by blocking UDP ports. By December 2021, dissident authors Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan accused Western technology companies like Keysight Technologies of helping authorities block Tor. Users reported issues accessing Tor while Roskomnadzor announced centralized blocking of means of circumvention.
Internet censorship intensified in late February 2022 amid the country's invasion of Ukraine. Roskomnadzor ordered the blocking of foreign media outlets including BBC News, Deutsche Welle, and RFE/RL. Facebook and Twitter were restricted across multiple providers starting the 26th of February and the 27th of February respectively. By the 4th of March, these bans became near-total according to Internet rights monitor NetBlocks. On the 11th of March 2022, Belarusian political police arrested Mark Bernstein, a Minsk-based Russian Wikipedia editor editing the article about the invasion. Authorities blocked or removed about 138,000 websites since Russia began its invasion in February 2022. In April 2022, several Wikipedia articles appeared on the list of forbidden sites.
In June 2020, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Russia regarding the blocking of websites critical of the government. The court found that plaintiffs' freedom of speech had been violated in cases involving Garry Kasparov. A law passed in July 2012 required the establishment of an Internet blacklist administered by Roskomnadzor. Legislation criminalizing searching for extremist content online was voted on the 22nd of July 2025. Individuals face fines between 3,000 and 5,000 rubles for violations of this new law. Advertising VPN services carries fines ranging from 50,000 to 80,000 rubles for individuals. First-time offenders will be fined up to approximately $64 USD under the new regulations.
Common questions
When did Russia activate the Common register of domain names?
Russia activated the Common register of domain names in November 2012. This system allowed the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media to block specific URLs without immediate court orders.
What does the SORM framework allow the Federal Security Service to do?
The System of Operational-Investigatory Measures allows telecommunications operators to install hardware provided by the Federal Security Service. This equipment enables the agency to monitor phone calls, email traffic, and web browsing activity unilaterally.
Which software was banned in Russia in November 2017?
A ban on all software and websites related to circumventing internet filtering took effect in Russia in November 2017. This included virtual private network services and instructional material on how to bypass government blocks.
How many websites were blocked since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022?
Authorities blocked or removed about 138,000 websites since Russia began its invasion in February 2022. Several Wikipedia articles appeared on the list of forbidden sites in April 2022.
When did the European Court of Human Rights rule against Russia regarding website blocking?
In June 2020, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Russia regarding the blocking of websites critical of the government. The court found that plaintiffs' freedom of speech had been violated in cases involving Garry Kasparov.